By: Xavier Andrews
Posted In: Sports
Photo credit: Christina Borger
The 2008 football season for the Salve Regina Seahawks began Sept. 13 in a clash with the SUNY Maritime Privateers. At halftime, the Seahawks were winning 27-0 and the home crowd was ecstatic over the excellent performances by quarterback Jeff St. Onge and other players, such as Ben Hall and Jason Giordano. The Seahawks went on to beat the Privateers 46-14.
The outpouring of support for the football team started at Miley Hall with the annual March of the Seahawks to the stadium near Memorial Boulevard. Faculty and students donned their blue Salve Regina attire and marched down Annandale Street, cheering and making ample use of the megaphone. The football team receives a lot of flack from students because of their less than winning record. Last year the Seahawks won only two of their nine games, and the Salve community does not recall the season favorably. “The last football game I saw at school, there were two [opponent] interceptions in a matter of minutes,” says junior Will Paradis. “But they are playing great today.” Paradis is not alone in his support for the Seahawks. The Salve Regina cheerleaders entertained the crowd and always had smiles on their faces. Every time the team scored, the cheerleaders did as many push-ups as there were cumulative points , a daring decision during a game in which the score was nearly thirty points halfway through the contest. A decent amount of parents attended the game as well, perhaps watching the first game of their child’s college career. The stadium was also filled with young children, many of whom rushed the field at halftime to toss around the football, emulating the Salve players. The kids loved the white thunder sticks, inflatable tubes that make a loud noise when paired and banged together. Free t-shirts, burgers and hot dogs were supplied for all in attendance, which could have influenced the rather large turnout. Much praise should be given to Bart Carithers, the Director of Student Activities and the Student Center. Carithers never once sat down, always trying to hype the crowd, usually by initiating use of the thunder sticks.Carithers and Sarah B. Kelly, Salve’s Community Service Coordinator, gave the noise makers to a group of young children who came to watch the game which improved their already exciting experience. While last year’s season did not go as well as the Salve Regina community had hoped, the faculty and students are fully behind the Seahawks this year. Hopefully the hard work of the team and the dedication of the fans will pay off.
